Israel sets October 27 date for national election
The Knesset said Israel will vote on the last legally available date as Netanyahu prepares to seek another term.
By Lucas Ferreira · Science & Environment Writer
3 min read
Israel will hold national elections on October 27, the Knesset said Sunday, setting a vote expected to test Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s leadership after years of war in Gaza. The date is the latest allowed under Israeli law, according to parliament.
The Knesset said the current legislature is expected to complete its term and does not need to pass a dissolution law. Its final sitting is scheduled for Friday, Al Jazeera reported, making Netanyahu’s far-right coalition the first Israeli government in about 50 years to finish a full four-year term.
Netanyahu, 76, said in June that he would run again, according to Al Jazeera. He is Israel’s longest-serving prime minister and has faced sustained criticism since the Hamas-led attacks of October 7, 2023, which Al Jazeera described as the deadliest in Israel’s history.
Critics cited by Al Jazeera blame Netanyahu for security failures that allowed armed groups from Gaza to cross Israel’s border defences and seize 251 hostages. His opponents also point to his handling of the war in Gaza, where Hamas has not been eliminated despite Netanyahu’s stated war aims, according to Al Jazeera.
Challenge from Eisenkot
Former Israeli military chief Gadi Eisenkot has become Netanyahu’s leading challenger, according to Al Jazeera. A Channel 13 poll published Thursday put Eisenkot’s Yashar party slightly ahead of Netanyahu’s Likud.
Eisenkot served in Netanyahu’s war cabinet before resigning in June 2024, saying the government had failed to meet its goals in Gaza, according to Al Jazeera. His son was killed early in Israel’s war in Gaza in December 2023.
Before lawmakers leave for recess Friday, Netanyahu’s government is trying to pass several bills that Al Jazeera said the prime minister hopes will improve his standing before the vote. The proposals include judicial changes and a measure that would halt the detention of ultra-Orthodox Jews who avoid compulsory military service.
Netanyahu also remains on trial on corruption charges, according to Al Jazeera. The outlet reported that he could face up to 10 years in prison if convicted, while critics accuse him of using the premiership to avoid accountability.
War, courts and foreign pressure
Israel’s conduct in Gaza is also expected to shape the campaign. Al Jazeera reported that several major human rights organisations have accused Israel of genocide during its military assault on the enclave.
Yossi Mekelberg, a senior consulting fellow at the London think tank Chatham House, told Al Jazeera that the October election could be Israel’s most consequential since the state was founded in 1948. He pointed to Gaza, the occupied West Bank, Iran and Lebanon as unresolved issues, and said Israel’s ties abroad, including with the United States, had been damaged.
Mekelberg also said the government was advancing legislation that he believes undermines Israel’s democratic foundations. He told Al Jazeera the campaign would be “the most toxic” in the country’s history.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.